Sean Lock Was, and Still Is, One of the Greatest Comedians of All Time

I kinda got through college by watching a ton of british panel shows. I think it all started with the weird wisdom of QI, and then I discovered the fables and fibs of Would I Lie To You, and lastly the topical yet random and somewhat timeless tirades of 8 Out of 10 Cats. Or maybe it didn't happen quite in this order, maybe I am misremembering some things that actually happened concurrently, but suffice it to say that I ended up watching more hours of british television than television from my own country. Soon enough I found myself understanding some current events and quite a few details of british culture, as well as noticing all these words that are used rather differently in american english, and of course most importantly, I found a ton of comedians I began to admire... And I mean, college for me wasn't necessarily terrible, but there were a few bad days here and there, and it was in the apex of my worst days there that I discovered 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and my already existing appreciation for Jon Richardson and Sean Lock became love. So it wasn't long until I began to consider Sean Lock one of my favorite comedians of all time, certainly the greatest british comedian in my not so humble opinion, and it was in fact thinking that precise thought just a few days ago that made me wonder what he was up to, only to then discover he has passed away.

Sean hilariously getting the word “foog” in the Catsdown rematch

Ironically enough, the first episode of Catsdown I ever saw was the one in which Miles Jupp brings out a picture of Sean as his mascot, acting like it's a picture of an old, long-lost ancestor, and Aisling Bea makes a joke about how that picture looks like the one that would be in Sean's tombstone when he dies... Kind of in bad taste for me to bring this up now but I don't think Sean would be particularly offended, and it was indeed a nice picture... I don't even remember how I discovered the episode, probably aimlessly wandering through YouTube as usual, having no idea what this thing with the numbers and anagrams even was. But I loved it almost immediately and started binging on episodes, making them almost a little ritual over meals or just when staying up late or whatnot, and very soon after I was able to tell episodes apart by noticing Rachel's colorful dresses. Doing so proved more valuable than it might seem, because it made it rather useful to rewatch certain specific bits. For instance, the whelk overdose was an instant classic. I distinctly remember losing it when watching it for the first time, with my face and my belly hurting from laughing so much. And we all know Sean's chemistry with Miles didn't end there because they were also part of the infamous spit incident, which reduced Jimmy Carr to tears. And steering a bit away from Catsdown to the normal Cats, we all know that “spine in a sack” and “carrot in a box” are two of the greatest bits on television, immortalized by Sean's stunning ability to scam his way into and out of every situation.

My personal favorite though, out of so many that it's pointless to list them all, was definitely the “beamrules” bit. In what I can now sadly call a very old episode of Catsdown, Sean came up with a feat of prediction. He wrote down a nine letter word on a piece of paper, sealed it in an envelop before the show, and promised that at some point someone would come up with that exact word, which Rachel would them place on the board. The word was “beamrules” which Jon Richardson claimed as one of his many attempts at double point glory, and then Sean had Rachel open up the card, promising that the selfsame word would be written thereon... Rachel did just so, to much anticipation from the entire audience, only to then burst out laughing as she breathlessly tried to read an impolite card meant for Sean's neighbors... Of course it's not so funny when I try to explain it, but damn, that moment was an oasis for me... I distinctly remember during that time I was staying up late to watch those episodes, constantly trying to take my mind of things and yet feeling sad at every other turn. It was only on those fleeting moments, from the intros and mascots to the conundrum and goodbyes, that I managed to ease up a bit, with this “beamrules” moment being the greatest one. Then the rest of the show carried on in such fun that I could have said that, for a little while there, I felt truly happy. And watching a pretty girl laugh so heartily at a silly joke made me think – well, you sad bastard, at least you're around to witness this, and maybe if you carry on you'll be in a position to live it...

But anyway, maybe I'm being too melodramatic. Suffice it to say that Sean Lock's comedy was always brilliant and seemingly random, in fact it was probably totally random, but with such quick wit and bluntness that it always paid off. And his chemistry was all-inclusive too. He complemented Jon like they were a teacher and student turned friends, what with loosing it with Jon's OCD idiosyncrasies and his formerly loveless life, except for a dinner lady and a clown. Then there was also the aforementioned Miles with whom Sean had some of his greatest moments. And Roisin Conaty too, by the way, always a fun addition to the show because she always looked like the younger cousin whom the aunt told to sit next to the cooler, older cousin. And who could forget how it was Sean who took the lead during Jimmy's infamous tax evasion episode, constantly firing off jokes that never really ceased all throughout the years... And I'm just now reminded of his impressive skill to come up with poems and songs on the spot, such as the breakup limerick and the tapeworm song. I suppose I could go on but I don't mean to make this an index of Sean's jokes and bits and styles, that would be damn near impossible, so I just aim to go on a little trip down memory lane, even if my memory is still fresh from constantly rewatching these old clips that somehow manage to remain absolutely timeless.

In other words, and as grumpy and mean as he played his character, Sean was an all-around great guy, who made every episode of every show instantly worth watching. In many ways I even tried to emulate his comedy style, even with virtually no success though it was amusing at least to myself. At the end of the day Sean was quite a big inspiration for me, even though I'm most certainly not a comedian, but it was always fun and interesting to hear him speak and to then try to mimic the confidence with which he went on and on with his mean, random, crazy, and hilarious rants... It was sad though to see him a bit weaker near the end though, with a shaved head and a distinctively softer voice which raised quite a lot of concern from all fans, concern that has since shifted into absolute sadness. However, though there's certainly a place for sadness and mourning, should that place leave no room for other things? I would think not, I'd think the death of someone who has led such a rich life shouldn't be the source of sadness, at least not enduring sadness, and especially not the death of a comedian. And I for one, in now constantly going through Sean's many jokes, I can't help but wonder how great all those little moments were and are, and in all things it's very much as if Sean Lock is still alive, and thus he's still one of the greatest comedians ever... So instead of being sad we might as well carry on remembering him, because at least I speak for myself when I say that whenever I go back through Sean's work I am not reminded of my own bad moments, nor am I reminded of Sean's death. I am instead reminded of the good moments, as if the bad ones never truly happened... Because to me it's as if Sean is still very much alive, and as far as I'm concerned he always will be.

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